Mobile

Mobility demands more storage

January 13th, 2016

The evolution of mobile devices means that employees are able to work anywhere they want. However, this has led to the need for suitable storage solutions, additional capacity and adequate backup and protection, writes ANAMIKA BUDREE.

The evolution and proliferation of a vast array of mobile devices has resulted in the ‘mobile warrior’ becoming the stalwart of many businesses. From large multinationals with branch offices in multiple regions, to local entrepreneurs with their own business who visit their clients personally, the ability to work on the go has dramatically changed the business world. Thanks to compact and efficient devices like laptop, smartphones and tablets, these ‘mobile warriors’ are empowered to work from any location, at any time. In addition, always-on connectivity has created a new brand of consumer who is always online at the touch of a button, with access to a world of information at their fingertips. The mobility megatrend, while it offers numerous benefits, has highlighted the need for suitable storage solutions, both for additional capacity and for adequate data backup and protection.

One of the biggest challenges with compact mobile devices is that they feature limited on board storage capacity. In a world where digital content creation is exploding, this can be problematic. In addition, the connected digital realm also leads to other content-related requirements. Working across multiple devices means users want to be able to access the same information and documentation from each device with consolidated and synchronised content. Consumers too wish to be able to access and share all of their content with ease, no matter where they are. Furthermore, mobile devices are highly susceptible to theft and accidental damage, which makes effective backup and data protection critical.

One of the simplest storage solutions for some of these challenges is direct-attached storage (DAS), also known as the external hard drive. This is often the most basic and affordable option to help expand storage capacity as well as provide a solution for data backup. DAS solutions are available as desktop hard drives which require an external power source, as well as portable solutions that are more compact and are powered through a USB port on a computer. Many solutions also offer automatic backup software to take away the chore of doing this manually, which adds an element of convenience.

In a connected world, however, simply expanding capacity or providing a basic backup solution is no longer enough. Many users need to centralise their storage to enable their files to be shared and accessed remotely. While consumers have turned to the public cloud to provide a solution. Personal cloud solutions offer the ideal alternative. These solutions consist of an external hard drive that also includes the ability to create your own cloud. Compared to a DAS drive, you do not need to carry it around with you, and they can be accessed by multiple devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets. Users therefore benefit from having all of their content easily sorted by folder in a central location that is completely in their control and allows them to access and share this content anywhere.

Network-attached storage (NAS) solutions are another option ideal for small to medium enterprises (SME) and even consumers with high storage capacity requirements. These solutions, which were previously only available to large enterprises, have begun to emerge in the smaller business and consumer market at an affordable price. The enclosures contain a number of hard drive bays, typically between one and four for the SMB market, which can be populated with purpose-built hard drives of capacities up to 6 TB each. This offers up to 24 TB of centralised storage capacity. In addition, NAS solutions can be configured in a variety of formats including RAID, which offers additional data protection and redundancy. NAS also enables a level of sharing and access through file server functionality.

The growing need for a variety of storage solutions presents a significant opportunity for resellers to think out of the box. For example, any business that needs notebooks and servers could benefit from NAS in order to provide not only storage server functionality but also the ability to centralise and consolidate content storage, provide additional data redundancy and offer an element of data sharing. Prosumers like photographers or other users with large storage requirements and the need for data redundancy would also benefit from NAS solutions. Laptops users may benefit from portable DAS solutions to provide additional storage capacity on the move. For both consumer and business customers, personal cloud solutions enable content consolidation, sharing and access across multiple devices, including smartphones and tablets.

In addition, resellers can cross sell solutions such as backup software. They are also in an ideal position to help to educate the market on the requirement for consolidated storage, additional storage capacity and the need for backup and data protection. This in turn will help them to become a trusted partner and advisor and a provider of complete solutions for business and consumer needs.

Note: External hard drives serve as an element of an overall backup strategy. It is recommended that users keep two or more copies of their most important files backed up or stored on separate devices or online services. Features, apps, and services are subject to change and may not be available depending on where you live, your service provider, device, or software version. Network connectivity, and a data service contract may be required to use certain features. A service contract may be required; fees and other restrictions may apply.

* Anamika Budree is a Sales Manager in Western Digital’s South Africa office. Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.

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